Liking my Lightning... Challenge.

[Calvin H-C]

I'm not downing EV's, just trying to be real here. We can't ignore the realities of ownership.

Understood. My example was one that we typically experience, but wouldn't necessarily be the same if I was travelling alone.

There are a number of things that one has to approach differently in an EV. Plugging in each night (or almost each night) at home to start the next day "full" is a mind shift from only filling the tank once or twice a week. Similarly, practically no one would think of adding a bit of gas to the tank if just making a 10 minute bathroom break, but plugging into a fast charger while on such a break might eliminate the need for a separate stop to get to the destination.

In my nearly seven years of driving a Focus Electric with its 100-mile range, I've learned to adapt to these sort of changes. Travelling in the SR Lightning is a breeze by comparison.

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[VAF84]

Understood. My example was one that we typically experience, but wouldn't necessarily be the same if I was travelling alone.

There are a number of things that one has to approach differently in an EV. Plugging in each night (or almost each night) at home to start the next day "full" is a mind shift from only filling the tank once or twice a week. Similarly, practically no one would think of adding a but of gas to the tank if just making a 10 minute bathroom break, but plugging into a fast charger while on such a break might eliminate the need for a separate stop to get to the destination.

In my nearly seven years of driving a Focus Electric with its 100-mile range, I've learned to adapt to these sort of changes. Travelling in the SR Lightning is a breeze by comparison.

I'm with you, I had a huge learning curve and finally get the different mentality of EV ownership.

My experiences as an extremely poor use case EV owner is why when it comes to charging on the road I'm so numbers oriented and bring this stuff up. I put tons of miles on my vehicle's and always on the go. I'm quick to notice anything that slows me down and as a numbers guy start going down the rabbit hole to figure out what's costing me time and money. I feel it's useful info to others as EV's make their way into mainstream to owners who are less willing to adjust to the potential inconveniences of ownership. I think this is where we'll start seeing a clash of viewpoints/expectations between the old guard and the newcomers.

 

[woodsman]

I'm with you, I had a huge learning curve and finally get the different mentality of EV ownership.

My experiences as an extremely poor use case EV owner is why when it comes to charging on the road I'm so numbers oriented and bring this stuff up. I put tons of miles on my vehicle's and always on the go. I'm quick to notice anything that slows me down and as a numbers guy start going down the rabbit hole to figure out what's costing me time and money. I feel it's useful info to others as EV's make their way into mainstream to owners who are less willing to adjust to the potential inconveniences of ownership. I think this is where we'll start seeing a clash of viewpoints/expectations between the old guard and the newcomers.

I completely agree with you VAF84, going EV is a Commitment. If you're going to whine and bellyache the first time you are bothered by charging. Like going to cell phones, with the dropped calls. But it is unreal what we use our phones for now.
Just took a load of car scrap to the yard, they were pretty impressed.

 

[JRT]

I agree with @VAF84 ! I'm a previous Iron Butt motorcycle competitor and gas stops were always fast and efficient. Now ya the life of EV road trips introduces many sacrifices most consumers won't tolerate.

 

[Bigsaint]

People with no idea about EVs have difficulty getting their heads around 20-30 minutes to top up.

The real difference is just sequence, with a 30 minute stop breaking down like this (your time may vary):

ICE:
Stop for gas, start fill: 1 minute or less
Fill tank: 5 minutes
End fill, remove nozzle: 1 minute or less
Move car to park: 3 minutes
Washroom/food break: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

EV:
Stop for charge, start: 1 minute or less
Walk over to washroom/food facility: 4 minutes
Washroom/food break: 20 minutes
Walk back to vehicle: 4 minutes
End charge: 1 minute or less
Total time: 30 minutes

Great break down for those considering an EV!!

 

[Scorpio3d]

Depends on the driver and length of the journey. For me:

ICE:
Park at Pump and initiate fill: Less than 1 minute using ApplePay and one hand managing car gas cap, he other grabbing pump.

Pumping: Set pump, walk inside and use bathroom. Walk back to truck as pump clicks and completes. Hop into truck with foot immediately on brake so I can simultaneously start vehicle. Place car into gear as strapping on seat belt. Skip meal because I'm not sitting there for 20 min. Or grab a quick road snack in the store within time. Or choose a better place to stop an eat that isn't reliant on a nearby charger so I don't waste more time.

Total Time: 7 min tops


EV:
Stop for charge, START: 2-3 minute. Between having to maneuver and park a truck facing forward (instead of backing in) while watching out for bollards at EA or parking between stalls at Tesla, pulling up the app to engage the charger because god forbid Ford recognizes your memberships and includes your member discount, potentially add adapter, wait to confirm charging is initialized AND holding expected charge. In case it doesn't potentially move chargers or troubleshoot. BTW I did not add time here for maneuvering through busy shopping center parking lots and trying to find the charger in strip malls or other structures.

Charging time: Well, I know I'm going to be sitting there so I add an extra stop to pick up fast food to eat while I'm there, but let's assume I just get food at the gas station. Minimum 15 minutes for a just enough to move on; 33 min to "road trip" fill up. Of course in that time I walk around, go to the bathroom, start conversations with strangers, etc.

End charge: 1 minute or so wrangling the charging cord and shutting charger flap. On road trips potential for added time as I set my new charging destination since I can't rely on the nav. No penalty as I may get that done during charge.

EV TOTAL TIME: Conservatively 18 min on a quick stop for 40% charge. Or 36 minutes for a full charge.

Next:
Compared to ICE; for EV multiply those times by two on nearby RT road trips. Exponentially add on to that as you expand the length of the trip. Tack on more if it's winter and your range is reduced another 25%.

I'm not downing EV's, just trying to be real here. We can't ignore the realities of ownership.

While I don’t completely disagree with your comparison I think you are being a little too hard on the EV side and a little too easy on the ICE side. When on a road trip it is usually more than a five minute stop(probably closer to 10 minutes than 5) to fill ICE with fuel if you have a similar vehicle size. It is still 2/3ish faster. When I was younger, that was probably a bigger deal than it is as I have gotten older 10 minute stop versus 30 minute stop is not a big deal in the grand scheme of my life! Stop and smell the roses or plan stops a little better(which also takes a little extra time) but life is too short. I enjoy spending a few minutes, talking to other EV owners and not having to rush in to use the restroom and rush back out to shut off the pump and jump in my vehicle and take off down the road. I still drive 80+ miles an hour depending on the traffic and our speed limits are 75 most places in Texas so I could get a little more range by not driving as fast but hey, I love how well this truck drives!

 

[VAF84]

While I don’t completely disagree with your comparison I think you are being a little too hard on the EV side and a little too easy on the ICE side. When on a road trip it is usually more than a five minute stop(probably closer to 10 minutes than 5) to fill ICE with fuel if you have a similar vehicle size. It is still 2/3ish faster. When I was younger, that was probably a bigger deal than it is as I have gotten older 10 minute stop versus 30 minute stop is not a big deal in the grand scheme of my life! Stop and smell the roses or plan stops a little better(which also takes a little extra time) but life is too short. I enjoy spending a few minutes, talking to other EV owners and not having to rush in to use the restroom and rush back out to shut off the pump and jump in my vehicle and take off down the road. I still drive 80+ miles an hour depending on the traffic and our speed limits are 75 most places in Texas so I could get a little more range by not driving as fast but hey, I love how well this truck drives!

For all the sacrifices, it is the best driving truck out there!

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